Frozen in Time
by TheGreatAnimeFan
Summary: COMPLETE Sequel to shattered but not broken. If you were given the chance would you take it? And if you did take that chance would you be able to escape your fate?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Breaking the chains of fate. I choose my own destiny.**

Life for Stacy Stickler was absolutely perfect!

It had been just a few weeks since Bradley had moved back, and even she could tell that she was her old self again. It wasn't just her either since practically everyone had in a sense missed Bradley just as much although not to the extreme that she had. Even Lance and Russell were happy to have him back, and showed their happiness by hanging him from the top of the high schools flag pole by his underwear. How they did it? No one knows, however, if she had to guess it was probably rocket boots. She had been the first to find him after school let out that afternoon as he loudly called to her to get him down. This of course made her break out into fits of hysterical laughter causing Bradley to blush and yell even more frantically, which eventually called the situation to the attention of the entire school who found it just as amusing as she had. Oh if only she had sold tickets. In the end it took the entire fire department to get him down.

It was while she waved goodbye to the ambulance carrying Bradley to the emergency room to get him de-wedgitized that she got the call. Taking out her cell she looked at the caller ID recognizing the number instantly as Polly's. She quickly hit the answer button while trying to suppress the remaining giggles in her system.

"Hey Polly." Stacy said letting a few chuckles escape as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"You seem in quite good spirits today Stacy." Polly's cheerful voice emitted from the other end.

"Yeah. Lance and Russell had their way with B-man. You should have seen him hanging from his undies on top of the flag pole." Stacy couldn't help breaking out with laughter again at the memory.

"While I would contest my brother and his stinky friend being able to break the laws of physics in order to hang Bradley from such a high place. That's not why I called." Polly said with a point blank tone.

"Okay, okay. So what's up Polly?" Stacy mustered up all the restraint she had in her in an attempt to get down to the matter at hand.

"I need you to meet me at the community college. I have something big to show you." Polly exclaimed excitedly before hanging up leaving Stacy confused, but nonetheless curious.

Unlike the rest of the kids from the apartments including herself who had by now turned sixteen and entered the 10th grade. It was Polly at a mere eleven years old who managed to graduate high school way before any of them would have. At the age of twelve she had become a freshman at the local community college, and even though she had once asked Polly why she didn't try for an Ivy League school the young girl's response ended up surprising her. Being in a new place with no one familiar around would be scary even if she did get the best education the country could provide. In a way this had comforted Stacy a little before Bradley's return. Since even though Polly had been going all therapist on her she had been the only one to stay by her side through those tragic seven years.

It hadn't taken her long to reach the campus, and it was not small by any means. Not that it mattered since no vast terrain was too big for Stacy Stickler trailblazer to traverse through. Even if in reality it took her an hour until she had finally found Polly in the science wing of the school. Knocking on the door of room 71-443 it didn't take long for the door to open as she was greeted by the beaming smile of a girl much shorter than herself. Sporting a pair of beaming turquoise eyes that stared into hers as well as long red hair that had been tied up into three pig tails that bounced and waved along the top and side of her head as she moved.

"You made it!" Polly exclaimed happily as she hugged Stacy and ushered her inside.

"Yeah... Umm sorry for being late. I kinda got lost." Stacy lightly ran a hand through her spiky black hair in embarrassment.

"Nonsense. I just finished getting everything ready." Polly beamed with pride

Stacy looked around the room. It was the size of a normal classroom, but there weren't any desks or anything that would make it seem like a place where people sat being bored out of their skulls. Near her was a large console with screens, buttons, and knobs adorning it. Along the walls there were machines that looked like huge super computers. The floor was covered in wires that were connected to both the console and the supercomputers that lead to the center of the room in which a pod made of metal and glass stood.

"What is all this stuff?" She asked her friend in amazement.

"Well you see one day when I was working on being the first to complete the longest math equation in history. A part of my calculations turned out to be related to the phenomenon of the time-space continuum. This machine is nothing less than a Temporal Transportation Device." Polly bounced up and down a little in glee.

"A whaaaaaa?" Stacy replied with a blank look on her face.

"A time machine." Polly sighed and glared back at her friend with narrow eyes.

"Ohhhhh..." She replied nodding slowly until it dawned on her. "Holy cow! Did you say a time machine?!" She yelled out as Polly once again smiled widely. "This... This is incredible Polly! How does it work?!"

"It's quite simple really. Using all the data I gathered in those super computers and the console. I am able to tear space and time apart allowing the person in the pod to go wherever they wish." Seeing Stacy's blank face again she narrowed her eyes once more. "I can set a time and place in the console allowing me to send anyone standing in the pod to any point in history they wish to go." This explanation caused a more satisfactory reaction as Stacy's jaw hung so low it was practically on the floor.

"This is incredible but how were you able to get all of this equipment?!" Stacy exclaimed while pointing at everything in the room.

"It helps to be the top student in every single major in the schools academic library." Polly smiled a little bit at that. She could understand why Stacy underestimated her.

Alright. Let's fire this puppy up!" Stacy pumped her fist up and down in excitement.

"Indeed I was just about to send Pepperoni back to England in the Middle Ages to authenticate the Arthurian myth." Polly pointed to the pod. Inside was a fuzzy yellow poodle dog with tire tracks running down the middle of its body, and wearing a little dog sized knight helmet. The visor on the front of the helmet falling down over the clearly dead dogs eyes with a clang. It had been seven years but Pepperoni still looked together as one would put it. If there was one thing anyone could say about Lance it was that he had pretty good taxidermy skills. Although Stacy herself felt that probably was not a good thing to be proud of. Still it had been one of the very rare few times he had actually been nice to his half-sibling so at least that garnered a tiny bit of respect. Not that a .01% respect rating meant a lot.

Looking over the machine again though an idea began to sprout in Stacy's mind. Sure it involved some trickery, but this was a chance she couldn't pass up.

"Hey Polly? Has this thing been tested yet." She asked

"No. This will be the trial run." Polly responded wondering why she had asked.

"Then don't you think it's a bit dangerous to test it on Pepperoni?" She smiled a bit. This would be too easy. "I mean if something went wrong who knows what could happen?"

"I highly doubt my calculations are wrong Stacy... But you might have a point." She was beginning to show signs of worry considering if there was one thing Polly did not want to lose more than anything it was her beloved dog. "Maybe it would be better to find another test subject."

"I agree. So how about we fire this up!" Stacy had already taken Pepperoni out of the pod and was now standing in it grinning from ear to ear.

"Now hold on Stacy. You just said it was too dangerous to test on Pepperoni. Why would you think I'd test it on you?" Polly placed her arms on her hips and glared at the spiky haired girl.

"Ummm because... Because..." She was sweating bullets now, but she was so close. However, one glance at the child in front of her made her sigh in defeat. She wasn't good at lying especially since her butt grew to humongous proportions whenever she did. "Look Polly... I'm sorry... It's just that I have something I have to do and this may be my one and only chance to do it."

"Something you have to do?" The smaller girl asked quizzically.

"Yeah... That's why I jumped at the chance." She bent down on one knee and placed her hands on Polly's shoulders as her eyes looked into her friends. "Can you forgive me?" As she looked at her friends face it looked deep in thought for about five seconds.

"Of course I can Stacy. You've always been very opportunistic when something good comes your way." Polly smiled and patted Stacy's head before walking over and picking Pepperoni off the floor so she could sit him in one of the chairs at the console. "I assume you already have a place and time in mind then?"

"Yes I do." Stacy smiled and nodded as she looked back at the machine. "Polly I want you to send me back to the apartments. Seven years ago."

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Beyond all space and time**

_When the clocks are ticking down to_  
_Timeless eternity_  
_How many single moments do you..._  
_Do you believe have counted after all?_  
_We're taking fate and fortune_  
_Into our own two hands, yeah_  
_'Cause in this crazy city_  
_There is a wakening breeze ablow._

_-Timeranger opening_

Polly sighed as she looked up from the console at the older girl standing in the pod. She knew that the tragic events of those seven years had affected Stacy greatly, but to make a request like this?

"I thought that with the return of your best friend your deep rooted psychological issues had been solved." The younger girl said hoping that her friend wasn't relapsing.

"No, no of course everything is fine now that B-man's come back." Stacy looked down as a sad expression covered her face. "It's just... For these past seven years I've had to live with the guilt and regret for all the things that happened on that day." She looked up at the ceiling of the pod she was standing in. "If this really can take me anywhere; at any point in time. Then there's nothing I want to do more than make things right."

"You do realize you are talking about changing history right? The fabric of space-time isn't just flexible it's also very fragile. If you do this you could cause disastrous results here in the present." Polly said in a tone that screamed disapproval. Stacy didn't even need to think about it. She pursed her lips and clenched her fists tightly.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. Besides its not like I could cause myself to not exist or anything." She exclaimed as the confidence that everyone knew her by poured out at full force.

"Except if things go wrong you could create a future in which Bradley never came back leaving you the dull husk that you were not so long ago." She argued trying to talk the spiky haired girl out of it, but one look at Stacy's eyes pretty much told her nothing would change her mind. This caused her to sigh in frustration. "Fine. While I may not condone tampering with the space-time continuum I will acknowledge your request."

The twelve year old genius went back to work at the console setting the date to April 13th 1998 before looking back up at Stacy who was now smiling at her younger friend in gratitude.

"Let me warn you right now that I'm not sure where you'll land." Polly began as the super computers around the room whirred to life. "One more thing. Since time travel is relatively new in the sense that I'm the first person who has ever conducted a real life experiment of this magnitude. The machine is only able to keep you in the past for an hour. After that you will be automatically returned to the present. I would not be able to ascertain your safety if I allowed you to stay longer than that."

"Cool. Sort of like time travel bungee jumping." Stacy grinned as she placed a pair of safety goggles over her eyes. It was time for action.

"This is exciting isn't it Pepperoni?" Polly put on a pair of sunglasses and beamed over at the poodle dog sitting beside her who was also wearing sunglasses as she flicked switches and pushed buttons on the console. Which caused the super computers to whir louder until eventually bright white electrical currents began to travel towards the central pod containing Stacy. Seeing the high voltage currents coming towards her shook her confidence a bit. Maybe this had been a bad idea after all. However, she didn't have much time to think as the light emitting from all the cords in the room collided on the central pod enveloping the entire room in a bright white light.

Pain unlike anything Stacy had ever thought was possible coursed through her body. For a moment she wondered if she was going to die or if she was already dead. Her entire body was on fire as if every molecule in her body was melting, and the pain was more than she could bear. She wanted to scream, but when she did nothing escaped her lips. Even worse she couldn't breathe as if the light itself was suffocating her. As her consciousness started to fade she couldn't tell if it was because of the pain or the lack of air in her lungs. The last thing that ran through her mind before everything went dark was just one thing. Would she be okay?

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The past revisited**

"Hey! Wake up! Are you alright?"

Stacy's eyes slowly opened. Through her barely conscious haze she noticed that her vision was extremely blurry. The second thing she noticed was that someone was shaking and calling out to her..

"W-What?" She asked trying to muster enough strength to stay conscious.

"Oh you ARE still alive. I thought for sure I was going to see an honest to goodness corpse. Maybe you'd have even become one of the walking undead." The voice said in a disappointed tone.

"R-Real... Mature..." Stacy managed to get out before breaking into a fit of coughs. Whoever this person talking to her was they sure didn't have any tact.

"I'm so sure. Says the person who tried to commit suicide in the pool." The voice said.

"Suicide? Pool? What are you talking about? Where am I? What's going on?" She asked as she tried to steady her breathing. Her vision was beginning to clear little by little as the strength and feeling returned to her body. She could feel her dress and hair sticking to her like glue. Looking over a little to the right she could make out that she was lying down on the edge of a swimming pool.

"That's what I want to know." The voice exclaimed. "I was out here minding my own business when you suddenly fell right out of the sky. You're just lucky you landed in the pool. Even more lucky that I was able to fish you out before you drowned." There was a slight pause before whoever it was continued talking. "As for where you are this is Latchkey Garden Apartments."

"Latchkey?!" She yelled out after shaking all the water out of her hair causing her long flat hair to poof back up into the long and pointy spikes that usually adorned her head. She was utterly baffled. What was she doing at the apartments? The last thing she remembered was being at the community college with Polly. Feeling new strength flowing through her she sprung up and looked around. It really WAS Latchkey Gardens, but not exactly the same as she remembered it from this morning. She racked her brain trying to remember what happened.

"Hey you okay? You look like you got your brain sucked out by..." Her rescuer began to say before being interrupted

"Yeah, yeah aliens from 'Uranus.' Real smooth Bradley now let me think." Stacy growled and rubbed her temple her back to the person that she had been conversing with. She was not in the mood for jokes right now.

"How did you know my name?"

What?" She was literally floored by that question.

"I said. How did you know my name lady? I don't think I ever told it to you." The voice said with impatience in its tone. Now that she thought of it; it seemed very familiar to her.

She blinked her eyes a little and slowly began to turn around only to see a kid waring a red baseball cap, large black glasses, a purple T shirt, and jean shorts looking up at her with eyes that demanded answers. Was this really Bradley? Not just any Bradley either this one looked to be no older than nine. Stacy rubbed her eyes with her hands to get a better look. Sure her vision had seemed to clear up, but this seemed impossible. B-man wasn't nine anymore and yet here he was standing in front of her. She had to admit it was one heck of a realistic dream.

Suddenly she fell to her knees and grabbed her head as an intense jolt of pain went through her skull. The memories from that day began to pour back into her head. Not just why she had been with Polly in the first place, but everything that had transpired including the goal she wanted to accomplish by being the guinea pig in her friend's experiment.

"Jeez lady. You're starting to creep me out. Forget I asked." Bradley rolled his eyes and began to walk away.

"W-Wait!" Stacy quickly called out to him. "S-Sorry I must have hit my head when I fell in the pool. At least I know not to forget my parachute when I go skydiving again. Heh, heh, heh..." She nervously laughed as Bradley stopped and looked back at her. "As for how I knew your name... The truth is... ummm." She had to think of a story fast since she knew how these kinds of stories worked. "It's because I'm one of Stacy's distant cousins. My name is Casey." There was no way he could possibly see through this.

"Nice try but I know everyone in Stace's family, and she doesn't have a cousin Casey." Bradley looked at her with narrow eyes of suspicion.

Stacy was dumbfounded. How on earth could Bradley have possibly seen through her lie so easily? BRADLEY! The guy who believes everything you tell him.

"B-But it's the complete and honest truth. I mean wouldn't you say we look a lot alike?" She grinned and primped her hair believing that this would be the ticket to get B-man on her side.

"Sorry. For an old lady you may look cute, but Stace is on an entirely different level." Bradley said matter of factually while folding his arms across his chest.

It took all of her restraint not to kill him where he stood.

"Fine is there a way I can prove it to you?" She growled while grinding her teeth through a very forced smile.

"Alright. If you're really a part of Stace's family. Then I'm sure her parents will be able to tell right away who you are." He grabbed her hand and smirked before dragging her towards her moms apartment.

"W-Wait! You can't!" She began to panic. If her parents saw her the jig would be up.

"What's wrong? You ARE part of Stacy's family right?" Bradley grinned mischievously.

"Okay! Fine I'm not part of her family." She yanked her hand out of Bradley's as he turned around to smile in victory. "But I am here to see you because of her."

"Oh? And what does miss bossy butt want that she would send a messenger like you to see me?" He asked in a voice that sounded like he believed this story less.

"That fight you had! She really regrets it! You have to go and make up with her right now!" There were tints of desperation in her voice now that the heart of the matter had been brought up.

"Hmph! Why do I have to be the one to go and make up with her? She's the one who said that everyone's lives would be better here without me especially hers, and that she couldn't wait until I was gone for good." Bradley clenched his fits. The anger in his voice so sharp that it cut her like a knife. "Besides why should I believe a word you say anyways? All you've done is lie since you got here."

"I'm not lying about this! She really didn't mean it!" The tone of desperation in her voice got even more obvious. Bradley just snorted and started walking away. "You HAVE to believe me!" She called out to him only for it to fall onto deaf ears. "PLEASE!" She desperately yelled in a pleading voice as she got down on her hands and knees bowing her head as low to the ground as she could. She didn't like to beg, but she was out of options and she knew it. Only for Bradley to swirl around to face her angrily.

"I don't have to BELIEVE anything. Look I don't know who you are but you can tell this to her royal heinous. That if she wants to make up so bad she should do it herself." He turned around and started walking again.

"YOU JUST DON'T GET IT!" She screamed at his back.

"What I get is that if you keep bothering me we'll see what the cops have to say about you stalking a little kid." He yelled back at her before stomping away.

Stacy's fist pounded the ground in frustration. Why hadn't it worked? She had imagined fixing things to be a cake walk, but in the end she couldn't appeal to Bradley at all. She was running out of time and no closer to completing the task she had set for herself.

"I'm not done yet... I've still got an option." She shot up and quickly made her way from the apartment grounds to the street. She then began to run at mach full force. There was still one person left who could fix everything. All she had to do was find her ace in the hole.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: End justifaiz the means**

It was a beautiful sunny day for Stacy Stickler age nine.

"Hey Frank take a look at this!" She called to her favorite wiener dog who looked up from his napping spot to see his owner perform a cartwheel that soon turned into several back to back hand springs followed by an impressive back flip to land right next to him. "And the crowd goes wild for Stacy Stickler! The worlds greatest acrobat and gymnast!"

Frank yawned and fell back to sleep. Hoping it had been something more important. Like cheese poopers or any kind of food really.

"Ha! I'd love to see B-man try and top that." She boasted proud of her accomplishment with a smile on her face. Only for the smile to disappear a second later. That's right Bradley was moving. After today he'd be gone from her life forever. Part of her didn't like the idea at all of losing him, but she quickly shoved that part back deep inside where it couldn't get out. "Hmph. He can jump off a building for all I care." She said while nodding her head to reassure herself. After all no Bradley meant no more getting tangled in his messes, and none of his juvenile sense of humor. Yup this was the first day of her Bradley-free life, and she was going to enjoy every second of it.

"Hey you!" A voice called out to her causing her to look around in confusion for the source of the voice that seemed unfamiliar to her.

What she saw was an older woman probably in her teens with long spiky black hair, and wearing the same exact outfit she was all the way down to the shoes. The woman didn't look happy at all; in fact there was a fire in her eyes that she couldn't identify. Even so to look almost identical to herself. Maybe that meant she'd become a trendsetter though of course the older version who was quickly making her way towards her obviously wasn't as pretty.

"You're coming with me." The teenager said in an almost snappy tone as she grabbed Stacy's wrist, and began to drag her towards the exit of the park. Which caused the younger girl to snap back to reality.

"I don't think so. I'm not going anywhere." With her other hand she put two fingers to her lips and whistled. "Frank! Sic her!"

Frank looked up to see someone dragging his owner away. Quickly he jumped into offensive mode as he pounced towards the kidnapper only for the woman to turn towards the wiener dog and stare him down. The action not only caused him to stop in mid air, but also caused him to fall back to earth, and go back to sleep like nothing was wrong.

"Frank! What are you doing?! Are you a wiener dog or a mouse?" Stacy commanded only for Frank to ignore her completely. She turned back towards the person holding her wrist in a vice and tried to wrestle free. "Let go already! Where are you taking me?!"

"We're going back to Latchkey Apartments and YOU are going to make up with Bradley right now!" The woman said in an authoritative tone that even shook Stacy to the core, but if this person thought she could take Stacy Stickler anywhere they wanted they sure were underestimating her. Which she proved once she had been able to wrestle herself free only to fall flat on her butt in the process.

"Look lady. I don't know who you think you are, but no one messes with me and gets away with it." Stacy's own authoritative voice came out as she poked her index finger against the teenagers abdomen. "First off what goes on between me and Commander brainless is none of your business, secondly who are you to be telling ME what to do, and third why should I be the one to make up with that jerk?!"

"Well to answer your questions. First off I'm making it my business so deal with it, secondly I'm older than you that should be enough, and thirdly because if you DON'T make up with him you're going to regret it for a very, very long time." The older girl retorted while poking the younger girl back. Stacy scoffed a little she had to admire this persons spunk, but that wasn't going to work on her.

"Again why should I be the one to plead to that arrogant, egotistical doofus with a machismo so big it should have its own zip code?! Why should I be the one to beg for forgiveness from a guy who's idea of fun is making jokes about Uranus, and getting me tangled into his hair brained schemes?! If anything B-man has done nothing but ruin my life ever since the day I met him, and as far as I'm concerned it'll be a whole heck of a lot better now that he's gone." Stacy growled in anger as she clenched her fists. She was far past the boiling point.. "Besides I don't need him anyways. The world isn't going to end because he's not here, and I'm sure there's plenty of people who would make a better best friend than he ever was!"

A loud smack and a bright flash of light sent Stacy flying backwards onto the ground. As she laid there looking up at the sky she couldn't understand what had just happened, or what had knocked her over. She wasn't sure how long it had been, but it was like time had froze all around her. Suddenly her right cheek began to get warmer and a tingly, painful feeling began to move through her entire cheek. She looked at the woman who moments ago she had been arguing with. Only to see that it had been her who had knocked Stacy flat on her back. She had not only slapped her across the face, but had pulled no punches either as every ounce of strength had been put into the hand that had struck her down. The fire in her eyes had grown too and it was far more intense and demanding. To Stacy it was absolutely terrifying. Still she couldn't show any weakness here. That wasn't the kind of person she was.

"Hey! What did you do that for?" She yelled, however, before she could say or do anything her attacker was already standing over her. It was like the teenager was in a complete rage as she grabbed Stacy by the collar and brought her up to meet nose to nose.

"ARE YOU A FREAKIN' IDIOT?!" The enraged older girl practically screamed in Stacy's face, and to her horror the fire in the teen's eyes had become even more terrifying as she continued speaking in a voice filled to the brim with venom. "Do you know what it's like to lose the most important person in your entire life?! No your entire world?! To have to live with that pain, loneliness, and regret every single day of your life with the knowledge that it all could have been avoided by doing one simple thing?! Do you know what that's like?! Because I do! I've lived it! " and with that her attacker threw her back to the ground.

As Stacy picked herself off the ground and dusted herself off. She seriously began to think about what that person had just told her, and that part of her that had been fearing the loss of her best friend began to resurface. She knew that she had been putting up a good front for a long while to hide from the inevitability of Bradley disappearing from her life forever. She also knew that in her heart she didn't want him to leave. He was too important, too special. He had always been everything to her. She sniffed as tears came to her eyes. That stupid Bradley. How could he just abandon her?

"There's still time you know." The calm voice of the woman who had just attacked her moments earlier rang in her ears. "You can still make it if you go now."

Stacy slowly nodded and quickly started running towards the park exit before turning around to face her. "Just... Who are you?"

Afterward, as Stacy left the park and hurried back to the apartments she knew that she would never forget those final words.

"I'm just someone who doesn't want to see you make the same mistake I did."

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The road to tomorrow is a climax from start to finish**

_It's coming.  
Obtain that glimmer of hope  
And spread it all across the naked ground  
Just like the shooting firelight showering sparks all around  
More than a thousand, more than a million  
Beyond the count of billions and trillions  
Living in the now we children of the future  
We feel it coming, a new tomorrow  
Farewell to fear, farewell to sorrow_

_-Timeranger opening_

"Bradley! It's about time to go." His father called from the car. Following it up with a few beeps of the horn.

"Can't we just wait a little longer Dad? I can't leave without saying goodbye to Stacy." Bradley protested.

"Now son. You've had more than enough time to say goodbye to your little friends." chirped in his mother. "If we don't leave soon we'll miss our flight."

"But mom! Dad!" He argued only to be interrupted.

"No buts son. Get a move on." His father said in that stern voice that even he couldn't disobey.

"Yes sir..." He sighed and took one last look at the apartments then down the street. Hoping that maybe something or someone would appear. "Stace where are you?" He knew it was a stupid question since he already knew the answer. "Maybe she really does hate me." Letting out another sigh Bradley walked to the car and sadly got into the back seat. It would be the last time he'd see the Latchkey Apartments as well as the residents. Maybe that crazy lady he saw earlier was right. If he had gone and found her at least then he'd have been able to see his best friend one last time.

Taking a piece of paper out of his pocket he stared at the contents. It was the contact information his parents had given him so that he could give it to Stacy, however, the start of the car engine broke him out of his trance. He looked down the street again not sure what he was hoping to see and again there was nothing. Turning his attention back to the paper he should have given Stacy's parents at the very least. He took one last look at it before tearing it up, and disposing of it in the cars trash bin.

"Goodbye Latchkey... Goodbye Stacy." His eyes just wouldn't stay dry as the car began to pull out of the parking lot.

Meanwhile Stacy had literally kicked in the door of Bradley's now empty apartment.

"Bradley! You still here B-man?!" Stacy called only for no response. Where could he have gone? It wasn't time for him to leave yet was it? She dashed through the apartment checking every room she could only to hear the sounds of a car horn outside. Pressing her face against one of the windows she got a full view of a car leaving the parking lot with Bradley inside it.

"Bradley! Bradley!" Stacy pounded on the window as she called out to him even though she knew it was no use. Seeing the car pull up to the street she dashed out of the apartment as fast as she could. There wasn't any time to lose she had to catch up to that car.

"This looks like a job for Stace Solo!" She declared as she jumped onto the fastest ship in the neighborhood. A bike so old that it was barely held together. In a second she was off and it didn't take long for her to start catching up.

"Bradley!" Stacy yelled at the car only to see no response in her friend. "Yo B-man!" She yelled even louder but still got no response. Why wouldn't he turn around? Didn't he know she was right behind him? "Hey dorkzilla! Turn around right now!" She was now practically screaming at the top of her lungs as her eyes began to dampen and fog up while pedaling as fast as her bike could take it. "D-Don't you DARE leave without saying goodbye to me you... WOAH!" Before she could complete what she wanted to say her bike chain had completely broken through sending her on a collision course with a bush. "MAY DAY! MAY DAY!" Stacy yelled before she landed head first in the shrubbery. By the time she was able to wiggle herself out of the bush the car carrying Bradley was nothing more than a speck, and her bike had been totaled. There was no way she could catch up now.

As she saw the car turn a corner and disappear completely. She felt as though she were weak in the knees.

"Y-You've gotta be kidding me... This is a joke right? Or a dream? I-It's gotta be a dream! It HAS to be!" Her entire body was trembling. If this was a dream then it was a downright nightmare. "I'm sure I'll just wake up soon and B-man will still be here. Then we'll work everything out before he leaves." She did her best to smile even while her eyes were beginning to fog up again, and she could swear that rain must be coming because her cheeks were soaked. "That's right. It's all a dream... all a dream... all a..." Her voice disappeared as she dropped to her knees and gritted her teeth tightly. Her fists pressing into the sidewalk as she felt her eyes beginning to sting. She then raised her head towards the sky and let out a scream so loud that practically the entire city heard it.

_**"BRADLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!"**_

Stacy Stickler's composure was gone.

As this was going on a teenage girl also going by the name of Stacy Stickler was running through the side streets and alleys. Taking all the short cuts she knew so that she could catch up with her younger self. In her heart she had hoped the girl had made it in time, but still a feeling of dread washed over her. That sense of dread only increased as she was reaching the exit of an alley only to be welcomed by the sounds of uncontrolled sobbing. As she peered around the corner the sight was not only clear as day, but so familiar to her that it caused her to stumble back a few steps.

"No... No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" She was at a loss for words. There she was... Well who she used to be at least right in front of her. Her younger self was on her hands and knees crying her heart out amidst the pieces of a broken bike. "This... can't be happening... Not again..." She slammed a fist against the brick wall beside her in a mixed expression of anger and despair. It wasn't fair. Even though she had worked so hard nothing had changed. Even though Bradley had returned in her present she was still bound by the chains of her own fate.

Bradley... in the present...

Her head shot up instantly as her eyes widened. That was the answer. All she had to do was tell her younger self that Bradley would return someday. Sure it was a faint glimmer of hope, but it was the only thing she could think of now. Quickly she steadied herself and took a step towards her younger self.

Only for her body to fall like a wet noodle to the ground as pain once again began to course through her. She tried to move, but her entire body was paralyzed. She could feel the same sensation as when Polly had sent her there.

"Not now... I'm not ready yet... Got to tell her... Got to... tell her..."

She tried to reach out towards her younger self, but even then found she couldn't move freely. The image of her past self in tears burned into her mind as the world once again went dark.

**TO BE CONCLUDED**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter final: Seize your future with your own hands!** **The promise of a better tomorrow!**

_And if time can even heal all  
Neverending misery  
Unforgotten strength will bring us  
Kindness that we've seen somewhere before  
To bind us to each other  
Togetherness of living  
And if we just believe it  
There is a waking dream that grows._

_I see it._  
_Obtain the glimmer of hope_  
_We know that living in the here and now is_  
_The one and only way to go into the future and beyond_  
_Beyond forever, time after time_  
_Surpassing every, reason or rhyme_  
_Children of tomorrow spinning out a future_  
_Out of our dream, into our souls_  
_Into the future, blackest of holes_

_-Timeranger opening_

"Stacy... Wake up Stace!"

Her eyes slowly fluttered open. Her vision once again blurry and out of focus, but not as bad as when she first left.

"Bradley?" She asked half on instinct, half in reassurance.

"Yeah it's me. Are you okay?" Bradley answered from beside her. She looked down to see that Bradley was holding her in his arms, which did a good job of keeping her from lying flat on the floor. Still just the idea was enough to make her blush furiously as she looked away to make out the rest of the room.

"What happened?" Stacy spoke softly as she noticed that the entire room had been totaled.

"You tell me. After the E.R. removed that mega wedgie I've been looking for you everywhere... I came because Polly called me to say you were here, but as soon as I came into the room the entire place blew up. I thought you were dead.." Bradley said in a tone that made her think he may have actually been worried about her.

Stacy looked up at the ceiling before trying to stand up only for her legs to buckle out from under her.

"No I'm plenty alive. Though part of me may wish I wasn't." She smiled softly and chuckled a little before looking up at the clock that had somehow seemingly survived ground zero. Only to see that it had been around 45 minutes since she left. "Hey. Where's Polly anyways?"

"Right here Stacy." Polly smiled as she dragged Pepperoni out from behind a huge blast shield.

"When on earth did you get that?" She raised an eyebrow at the younger girl as she had not remembered it being there when she first entered the room.

"It's like I always say. You never know when you may need to guard yourself against a thermonuclear explosion. Isn't that right Pepperoni?" She hugged her dog happily before looking back at the two other residents in the room. " Although nothing in this room is actually radioactive."

"Man you haven't changed at all." Bradley sighed exasperatingly before Stacy interrupted him.

"Yeah, yeah. Save it for later B-man." She looked back at Polly. "Why was I sent back early? I still had fifteen minutes left?"

"Gosh. I'm sorry Stacy, but it seems that this era's technology isn't suitable enough to handle long periods of time travel." She shook her head softly in disappointment.

"Will someone please fill me in on what's going on? What is this thing anyways?" Bradley demanded as he pointed at the mostly destroyed central pod.

"Well it WAS a time machine for your big fat information." Stacy rolled her eyes at her best friends rude behavior.

"Pfft I'm so sure." Bradley rolled his eyes in return disbelievingly.

"Anyways... You can send me back again right? Just for a couple minutes?" Stacy asked as she ran over and placed her hands on Polly's shoulders. Only for the younger girl to look downward. "You can right?"

"Unfortunately that would be impossible Stacy." She brushed off Stacy's hands and walked over to one of the super computers. Opening up the maintenance hatch she pointed at the inner workings showing that everything had been fried to a crisp.

"But it CAN'T end like this! Nothing's changed! Nothing's..." Her ranting was interrupted by pain shooting through her head again causing her to scream in pain as her brain and nervous system adjusted to the time jump. It was at that point in Stacy's memory that an old fragment resurfaced. It wasn't a new memory, but one she had carried for a long time. It was the memory of a person. A person covered by shadow and fog. It had been one of the many memories that she had suppressed deep inside her mind during the years of Bradley's absence. The worst thing was that the memory was also saying something that was both familiar and haunting.

"I'm just someone who doesn't want you to make the same mistake I did."

It couldn't be possible! Could it? She tried to shake the memory out of her head, but it just kept playing over and over. The more it did the wider her eyes got, the smaller her pupils became, and the heavier her breathing got.

"Woah... Stace get a hold of yourself." Bradley said as he approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Only for the air to get knocked out of him as she elbowed him in the gut. Letting out an almost primal roar she kicked one of the super computers with all her strength. Leaving a huge dent in the metal plating, and she wasn't even close to finished. She had grabbed the chair Polly had been sitting in at the console when she had been sent off to the past, and proceeded to lift it over her head.

"YOU... STUPID... PIECE... OF... JUNK!" She screamed in absolute rage as she hit the console repeatedly with the chair until the more fragile chair shattered from the strain.

Bradley was beginning to pick himself off the floor when Polly began to push him towards the door.

"I'm sorry Bradley, but can you wait outside? Stacy and I need to have a private word."

"Umm..."

"Thanks I knew you'd understand." Polly smiled before kicking Bradley out of the room.

"Girls..." Bradley sighed in exasperation. He just didn't get them, but seeing as how he was curious he tried to listen in through the door. Only to hear nothing but Stacy's muffled screams. In a way he was kinda happy to not be in there anymore because when Stacy lost it. She really lost it.

Back in the room Stacy panted as she sat down on the only remaining chair in the room. Trying to catch her breath. She had spent the last ten minutes getting the entire experience out of her system.

"This is fascinating." Polly exclaimed in excitement.

"I don't think it's fascinating at all." Stacy moped as she slumped back in the chair. Now calmed from her rage induced tirade.

"But it is. You originally went back in time to erase that tragedy from ever happening. However, in the end it was your presence that ensured that the tragedy happened in the first place. A perfect example of a time loop phenomenon." Polly beamed.

"That's why it isn't fascinating!" Stacy growled under her breath. "I did all that work to change things for the better, and in the end everything turned out the same. This whole thing was completely pointless!" She stomped her foot and stared at the floor while twiddling her thumbs.

"Not totally pointless. Because according to my calculations there is a 99.9% chance that if you hadn't gone back it would create a paradox of such proportions that all of reality would shatter. Leaving everything to be erased from existence." The younger girl pointed out as she waved a pocket calculator around.

"So basically sacrifice one to save thousands? Talk about smooth." Stacy stated as she let out a sad sigh. "I'm starting to think time travel really sucks, but you know I wish I could have at least gave my younger self that message."

"Message?" Polly asked quizzically.

"Yeah. That even though life might seem bad right now. That there's a glimmer of hope you can look forward too in the future. If I would have known that back then I think it would have given me something to look forward too." She smiled at her younger friend who smiled back in return.

"Hey girls. I'm getting kinda bored with standing in the hallway." Bradley peaked in from a crack in the door. "Is it safe to come back in now?"

"Yeah. Get in here B-man do we have a story to tell you." Stacy grinned warmly at him, and as he entered the room he flashed an equally warm grin back at her.

Sure maybe she didn't get the results she had hoped for, but living in the here and now with Bradley by her side again. With nothing but a bright and beautiful future to look forward too together. She could say with a smile that she finally had closure, and that meant more than any painful memory she would have to endure.

**THE END**

_Catch the wave of time  
Head to the promised place right away  
The limits are infinite, jump at the critical moment  
Climax Jump_

_Isn't it good? Isn't it good? Isn't it great?_

_If you have a dream you wish would come true_  
_You've got to believe in the day you made that wish_  
_Catch the wave_  
_When you think you're lost. I'm sure..._  
_The strength of your feelings will guide you_  
_The future you wish for is already in your hands_

_Beginnings are always sudden_  
_Bring fate with you on a time tripin' ride_  
_Surpass the impossible_  
_Grab hold of it_  
_Climax_

_Don't be afraid of change_  
_You're just losing sight of your future self_  
_Higher than anyone else_  
_Let's jump into the sky_  
_Climax Jump_

_Isn't it good? Isn't it good? Isn't it great?_

_Hidden in everyone's heart_  
_There is a memory that one wants to redo_  
_Means nothing_  
_If a new morning awaits you_  
_Then write over the 'present' there_  
_Have just a bit of courage in your mind_

_A journey is always inevitable_  
_So you might as well jump around in a time tripin' ride_

_Seek it out  
It belongs just to you  
Climax_

_All your memories of yesterday_  
_A day when you will need to part will surely come_  
_So that you'll be proud of it_  
_Go further_  
_Climax Jump_

_Make your heart stronger_  
_The words important to you_  
_Collect irreplaceable memories_  
_A little more, just a bit more left..._  
_The unreachable starry night_  
_If you give up that's your last stop_

_Beginnings are always sudden_  
_Bring fate with you on a time tripin' ride_  
_Surpass the impossible_  
_Grab hold of it_  
_Climax_

_Don't be afraid of change_  
_You're just losing sight of your future self_  
_Higher than anyone else_  
_Let's jump into the sky_  
_Climax Jump_

_Isn't it good? Isn't it good? Isn't it GREAT?_

Stacy stands and applauds from her theater seat as the screen fades to black.

"Now that was a great movie." She smiled before turning to Bradley. "What'd you think of it?"

Bradley snored loudly from his seat.

"Real mature Bradley." Stacy slapped Bradley upside the head thus waking him up with a jolt.

"Woah! Did the movie start yet?" He grinned at his best friend

"It just ended for your big fat information. The least you could have done was stay awake."

"But Stacy it was sooooo boring. There wasn't one cyborg, ninja, car chase, or explosion." Bradley raised his arms to express his distaste for what they had seen.

Stacy rolled her eyes, but then began to grin wickedly.

"Alright Bradley. I think I may know of a movie that may be more your speed." She cooed as she cupped Bradley's chin and looked into his eyes.

"Really? What is it?" Bradley asked excitedly.

"Well... It's got vampires."

"Yeah?"

"It's also got werewolves."

"Now you're talking my language."

"Oh but there's just one more, teeny, itsy bitsy thing." She brought her face closer to Bradley's her breath tickling his lips as her eyes gazed into his.

"Y-Yeah?" Bradley blushed nervously. Was it getting hot in here?

"It's also... a badly written love story!" She cackled as she pulled away and tied Bradley to the chair with lightning speed.

"No... Wait Stace! I take it back! This movie was great! Please let me go! Please?" Bradley was pleading as hard as he possibly could.

"I don't think so B-man. I'll come back for you tomorrow. Have fun." Stacy grinned before leaving out the theater door.

Bradley's tortured screams could be heard for miles.

**THE END (for real this time)**


End file.
